Hi, I have seen many videos about people remembering past lives during hypnosis. This does seem like an easier method of finding out about one's past lives than experiencing them during deep meditation.

What are your opinions about the accuracy of the information about one's past lives that one can get through hypnosis? Do most people just experience imaginary fantasies or are most people actually able to experience their past lives during hypnosis?

Luke wrote:Hi, I have seen many videos about people remembering past lives during hypnosis. This does seem like an easier method of finding out about one's past lives than experiencing them during deep meditation.

I honestly doubt you'll find anything useful through any 'regressive' therapies. I know, however, that undergoing them is very likely to result in energy disturbances - as well as much more serious mental problems. One of my friends has nearly managed to get herself confined to a mental institution through indulging in such 'fun'; she's been 'diagnosed' with both mania and schizophrenia and, whatever her shrink means by those words, he is correct in claiming that she is truly seriously ill - so ill as to be perfectly incapable of everyday functioning. Hallucinations, OCD, recurring delusions - you name it.

I think regression hypnosis is a viable method for remembering past lives for some. If you look at the studies, it is compelling. That said, what the studies don't tell you is how many it doesn't work for. The case studies in the books are the must illustrative examples. Far more get much less detail or nothing at all.

I am not sure there is that much to be gained from such regression though, unless you have a heavy karmic pattern that knowledge of the karmic origin might help illuminate.

Regression into the bardo before this life seems like it might be more useful but again, it is very uncertain and if you have the good fortune to have gurus and bodhisattvas monitoring your work here in the saha world, case studies suggest that they often block such things if they think you aren't ripe for it.

And besides one's own qualifications for such regression, there is the fact that many such therapists aren't actually qualified for it either and you end up being led by the therapists own narrative and paying handsomely for it.

One of my own teachers discouraged it unless I felt it was really necessary for all these reasons.

"Even if my body should be burnt to death in the fires of hellI would endure it for myriad lifetimes As your companion in practice" --- Gandavyuha Sutra

Will wrote:Hypnotism or mesmerism was known in the time of Buddha and before. If it were reliable for knowing past lives, why would Gautama spend all those years in meditation?

Because his goal went far beyond just remembering past lives, perhaps? Knowing one's past lives does not equal Nirvana.

Stipulated of course. Yet part of his Bodhi Tree enlightenment was knowing his many past lifetimes. That past lives knowledge only came to fruition from the seed of years of practice, not from regression hypnosis.

Basically, there is not even one buddha, only great wisdom. Bodhisattva Hsuan Hua

Will wrote:That past lives knowledge only came to fruition from the seed of years of practice, not from regression hypnosis.

One method working doesn't rule out another working.

Remembering past lives was not his goal. Even if hypnosis was known and thought to be a viable method for past life regression at the time (I admit, I have never heard of this being current in ancient India) he'd have little incentive to try it, since it wasn't what he was looking for.

"Even if my body should be burnt to death in the fires of hellI would endure it for myriad lifetimes As your companion in practice" --- Gandavyuha Sutra

Unwarranted assumption that hypnosis is a method that gives accurate insights into our past lives. Also you seem to be saying that it is just a matter of proper meditative technology to know past lives.

Wisdom and understanding, which Buddha gained under the Tree, are very different than passively letting a hypnotist mind-meld with you to gain a desired objective - "who was I before".

Basically, there is not even one buddha, only great wisdom. Bodhisattva Hsuan Hua

Will wrote:Anders: "One method working doesn't rule out another working."

Unwarranted assumption that hypnosis is a method that gives accurate insights into our past lives.

I don't think it's unwarranted. There has been a fair amount of study on the topic.

Also you seem to be saying that it is just a matter of proper meditative technology to know past lives.

Wisdom and understanding, which Buddha gained under the Tree, are very different than passively letting a hypnotist mind-meld with you to gain a desired objective - "who was I before".

You are conflating things here, Will and it's basically a strawman. You don't need much wisdom and understanding to remember past lives. It's a mundane siddhi. Some people are born with it, others remember parts of it through dreams, others meditate and start remembering (and yes, some are hypnotically regressed too). It doesn't take a mahayogin to have some glimpses of past lives. We're not talking about recollecting billions of lifetimes in one swoop like Shakyamuni did here.

"Even if my body should be burnt to death in the fires of hellI would endure it for myriad lifetimes As your companion in practice" --- Gandavyuha Sutra

Anders Honore wrote:I think regression hypnosis is a viable method for remembering past lives for some. If you look at the studies, it is compelling. That said, what the studies don't tell you is how many it doesn't work for. The case studies in the books are the must illustrative examples. Far more get much less detail or nothing at all.

I am not sure there is that much to be gained from such regression though, unless you have a heavy karmic pattern that knowledge of the karmic origin might help illuminate.

Agree.

Regression into the bardo before this life seems like it might be more useful but again, it is very uncertain and if you have the good fortune to have gurus and bodhisattvas monitoring your work here in the saha world, case studies suggest that they often block such things if they think you aren't ripe for it.

Interesting. Where have you heard this?

And besides one's own qualifications for such regression, there is the fact that many such therapists aren't actually qualified for it either and you end up being led by the therapists own narrative and paying handsomely for it.

Yup, this is the real problem.

One of my own teachers discouraged it unless I felt it was really necessary for all these reasons.